Pigskin Almanac: The underdogs who won the Superbowl

Every February or January millions of fans sit in front of their TVs, rooting for their favorites in the Super Bowl. The peak of the season is awaited with high expectations from people all over the globe. Those games yield heroes and losers. The winners are remembered and cherished, while the defeated ones have to work hard to get to the pedestal in their future efforts. But very often total outsiders take the Bowl and surprise the audience. Here is an overview of some of the most unexpected winners of the Super Bowl.

The audience at the Tulane Stadium in New Orleans saw a one-sided match between Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings. More than 80,000 people were surprised to see the Vikings defeated. They were given much better chances for winning the Super Bowl IV than the Chiefs. However, the team from Kansas City made a powerful opening, which gave them an advantage of 16 points at the half time. The rest of the game was a formality and Kansas City Chiefs became one of the least expected winners of the great Bowl.

The 48th edition of the Super Bowl offered a clash between Denver Broncos with the invincible Peyton Manning and Seattle Seahawks. Again, about 80,000 spectators in the stands expected a one-sided game in which the bets were on the side of the Broncos. But the history was written unexpectedly that day, because the Seahawks played and incredible game and shattered the Broncos’ dreams about winning the Super Bowl. Also, the MVP of the Super Bowl was Seahawks’ Malcolm Smith. Peyton Manning was already seen as the MVP, but his MVP title from 2007 has remained the only one up to now.

Floridian Buccaneers (Super Bowl XXXVII)

Image credits: Flickr

Although Oakland Raiders had a better forecast for the 28th Super Bowl, played on January 26, 2003, Tampa Bay Buccaneers stole the show and won their only title. The biggest advantage that the Floridian footballs pirates from Tampa had on their side was their coach. Jon Gruden was the former coach of the Raiders and knew how to organize his new squad. The final result 48-21 represented a real ruin for the team from California and the Oakland-leaned audience (the game was played in Sand Diego, CA).

Before the Patriots became one of the most successful clubs in the football history, they were considered underdogs. In the 2002 Super Bowl they faced St. Louis Rams, which were thought to win the finals. However, governed by a rising star, Tom Brady, the Patriots won this tight game. Even then, there were NFL rumors by football experts that Brady was to become the leading star in the years to come. Those expectations turned out to be more than mere predictions and Brady has led the Patriots to three titles in the 2000s.

Since the Patriots advanced from underdogs to favorites, many opponents wanted to overtake their Super Bowl throne. More than 70,000 spectators at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ had a privilege to watch one of the most exciting matches of the decade. The final score was 17-14 and the Giants became the new Super Bowl champions. Also, that match yielded a new star – Eli Manning – and a rivalry between him and Tom Brady, which enriched the football league and the excitement it brings.

Thanks to its dynamic nature, football often creates unexpected outcomes. It is always hard to predict who is going to win the Super Bowl, which makes the whole event the most popular sport finals in the US.

Bio:

Logan R. Grayson is stereotypical aussie, but his interest in sports is global. His work leaves him a bit of spare time, which he enjoys spending reading comics and walking his dog, Speck. You can also find him on Twitter,Google+ and Facebook. His favorite team is San Francisco 49ers.

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